Azerbaijan is doing its best to maintain the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, the expert Gevorg Agbalyan told NEWS.am.
He stressed that Nagorno-Karabakh itself seeks to maintain the status quo. Therefore, Yerevan, which gives priority to Nagorno-Karabakh’s will, is carrying out relevant work.
“For the Armenian side maintaining the status quo means not a single step back. That is why Yerevan is exerting great efforts,” Agbalyan said. With the current situation considered, the negotiations may last for ever. Azerbaijan regularly torpedoes the negotiations by rejecting any proposals. “This account for the fact that the co-chars’ optimistic forecasts on the threshold of the Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meetings fail to come true. Azerbaijan takes any chance to reject the proposals on the threshold – or after – each meeting by organizing provocations and making warlike statements,” the expert said. This is the reason why much should not be expected from the OSCE Summit in Astana.
Speaking of the Madrid principles, which provide for a referendum on Nagorno-Karabakh’s status, the expert noted that, under all international laws, the referendum must be held on the basis of the demographic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1989, when Armenians constituted 75% of the population. “I think that the Azerbaijanis do not have to return to their former places of residence in order to take part in the referendum. They can vote where they are in the presence of international observers,” he said.
As regards international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh, the expert said that if Armenia had recognized Nagorno-Karabakh in early 1990s, a number of countries would have followed its example. “May be some countries do not object to recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh now, but they feel bound because of the Minsk process with the participation of such influential states as Russia, United States and France,” Agbalyan said. On the other hand, if Azerbaijan thwarts the process by its regular provocations, it may provoke some countries into recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh.
